Big 10 Football Tour

Before arriving to Minneapolis, we had heard that the tailgating opportunities for the casual fan were limited.  In fact, if you didn't have a parking pass, you would have to park near the fairgrounds over a mile away and take a shuttle to the game. 

Rather than deal with the uncertainty of the whole situation, we reached out to the Minnesota fans & asked them if they would allow us to join them.  One of the fans offered to let us join him, however after looking closer at our blog,  he found that Jeff was an Iowa fan.  He then seriously retracted his offer because Jeff was an Iowa fan.  We understand the "rivalry" thing, but to not allow someone looking for help because they are from a competing state is just plain rediculous.  The game was Minnesota vs Cal, & it's not like he would be talking about Iowa or wearing Iowa gear; in fact, other than his ID, you would never know his alligence.  We hope the mother of this Gopher fan comes down with a horrible terminal illness, and then it turns out to be an Iowa doctor who holds the key to saving her life.

Luckily the team from the Goal Line Club showed us that not all Minnesota fans were just plain absurd and invited us to join them.  After spending the day with these guys, we would highly recommend that anyone with an extra $50 in their pocket should go to the Goal Line Club website and join.  From our perspective, here's why:

1) Location: They are set up in the Williams Arena parking lot.  Essentially one block from the stadium.

2) Restrooms: They have 2 restrooms on their site for use, no waiting in long lines.

3) Food: While we love burgers as much as the next person, some variety doesn't hurt.  Their spread is unbelievable!

4) People: We met some of their founding members such as Ken Sieben and Jack Murphy.  Extremely friendly, knowledgable and fun!

5) TV:  Two high-definition flat screen televisions on site allowing fans to watch other college football games.

At the tailgate was a buffet line that included tortillas, eggs, sausage, potatoes, cheese, salsa, and more.  There was also quite the variety of snack foods such as Chips and Fritos.  Most importantly there was lots of beer and wine available at 7 AM.  What better way to get your tailgate started!

After eating, we saw the mascot, Goldy, and the player buses come down the street.  We walked a block down the street to witness the "Victory Walk," where the players walk from their buses into the stadium.  The coaches, band, and cheerleaders were also on hand, many of them interacting with the fans lined up to cheer them on!

When we got back to the tailgate, business had started to pick up.  Our area was now filled out lots of Gopher fans and our charcoal shirts started to stand out among all of the maroon and gold.

As we were playing a game of bean bags (aka Tailgate Toss), Minnesota head basketball coach and former NCAA champion Tubby Smith walks on out of Williams Arena.  He was gracious enough to pose for a photo with us.

Before leaving the tailgate, we just had to do our weekly game of flip-cup.  This time we involved some of the opposing fans and Cal had a participant in our weekly tradition.

As difficult as it is for us to fit in, we tried by wearing the Gopher colors.  As you see in the photo to the side, we wore the authentic "Brew's Crew" t-shirts that so many Gopher fans wear on a regular basis.  No this isn't the "Brew Crew" that you know in Milwaukee.  This shirt was made for coach Tim Brewster, hence "Brew's Crew."  What is funny is that after originally promoting the shirt, the University has decided to change its stance on the shirts.  The Goal Line Club still sells them to this day.